Category Archives: GMO & Monsanto

Post navigation

Monsanto used to manufacture DDT (until it was banned in 1972 after 20 years on the market). Then Monsanto started manufacturing Roundup in 1974. Roundup is Glyphosate. Glyphosate is a poison. Glyphosate is sprayed on crops to kill weeds.

Monsanto has now genetically-engineered Glyphosate into the DNA of seeds that grow the food we eat (GMOs).

If you want to know how this is affecting your health, please read the following article I have re-posted by Alexis Baden-Mayer at the Organic Consumers Association.

Monsanto invented the herbicide glyphosate and brought it to market under the trade name Roundup in 1974, after DDT was banned. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the use of Roundup surged, thanks to Monsanto’s ingenious marketing strategy. The strategy? Genetically engineer seeds to grow food crops that could tolerate high doses of Roundup. With the introduction of these new GE seeds, farmers could now easily control weeds on their corn, soy, cotton, canola, sugar beets and alfalfa crops–crops that thrived while the weeds around them were wiped out by Roundup.

Eager to sell more of its flagship herbicide, Monsanto also encouraged farmers to use Roundup as a dessicant, to dry out all of their crops so they could harvest them faster. So Roundup is now routinely sprayed directly on a host of non-GMO crops, including wheat, barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, lentils, soybeans, dry beans and sugar cane.
Between 1996 – 2011, the widespread use of Roundup Ready GMO crops increased herbicide use in the U.S. by 527 million pounds—even though Monsanto claimed its GMO crops would reduce pesticide and herbicide use.

Monsanto has falsified data on Roundup’s safety, and marketed it to parks departments and consumers as “environmentally friendly” and “biodegradable,” to encourage its use it on roadsides, playgrounds, golf courses, schoolyards, lawns and home gardens. A French court ruled those marketing claims amounted to false advertising.

In the nearly 20 years of intensifying exposure, scientists have been documenting the health consequences of Roundup and glyphosate in our food, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe and where our children play.

They’ve found that people who are sick have higher levels of glyphosate in their bodies than healthy people.

They’ve also found the following health problems which they attribute to exposure to Roundup and/or glyphosate:

Alzheimer’s disease: In the lab, Roundup causes the same type of oxidative stress and neural cell death observed in Alzheimer’s disease. And it affects CaMKII, an enzyme whose dysregulation has also been linked to the disease.

Anencephaly (birth defect): An investigation into neural tube defects among babies born to women living within 1,000 meters of pesticide applications showed an association for glyphosate with anencephaly, the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull and scalp that forms during embryonic development.

Autism: Glyphosate has a number of known biological effects that align with the known pathologies associated with autism. One of these parallels is the gut dysbiosis observed in autistic children and the toxicity of glyphosate to beneficial bacteria that suppress pathogenic bacteria, along with pathogenic bacteria’s high resistance to glyphosate. In addition, glyphosate’s capacity to promote aluminum accumulation in the brain may make it the principal cause of autism in the U.S.

Birth defects: Roundup and glyphosate can disrupt the Vitamin A (retinoic acid) signaling pathway, which is crucial for normal fetal development. The babies of women living within one kilometer of fields sprayed with glyphosate were more than twice as likely to have birth defects according to a study from Paraguay. Congenital defects quadrupled in the decade after Roundup Ready crops arrived in Chaco, a province in Argentina where glyphosate is used roughly eight to ten times more per acre than in the U.S. A study of one farming family in the U.S. documented elevated levels of glyphosate and birth defects in the children, including an imperforate anus, growth hormone deficiency, hypospadias (an abnormally placed urinary hole), a heart defect and a micro penis.

Brain cancer: In a study of children with brain cancer compared with healthy children, researchers found that if either parent had been exposed to Roundup during the two years before the child’s birth, the chances of the child developing brain cancer doubled.
Breast cancer: Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors. The only long-term animal study of glyphosate exposure produced rats with mammary tumors and shortened life-spans.

Cancer: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found cancer rates two to four times higher than the national average, with increases in breast, prostate and lung cancers. In a comparison of two villages, in the one where Roundup was sprayed, 31 percent of residents had a family member with cancer, while only 3 percent of residents in a ranching village without spraying had one. The high cancer rates among people exposed to Roundup likely stem from glyphosate’s known capacity to induce DNA damage, which has been demonstrated in numerous lab tests.

Celiac disease and gluten intolerance: Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease. There are parallels between the characteristics of celiac disease and the known effects of glyphosate. These include imbalances in gut bacteria, impairment in enzymes involved with detoxifying environmental toxins, mineral deficiencies and amino acid depletion.

Chronic kidney disease: Increases in the use of glyphosate may explain the recent surge in kidney failure among agricultural workers in Central America, Sri Lanka and India. Scientists have concluded, “Although glyphosate alone does not cause an epidemic of chronic kidney disease, it seems to have acquired the ability to destroy the renal tissues of thousands of farmers when it forms complexes with [hard water] and nephrotoxic metals.”

Colitis: The toxicity of glyphosate to beneficial bacteria that suppress clostridia, along with clostridia’s high resistance to glyphosate, could be a significant predisposing factor in the overgrowth of clostridia. Overgrowth of clostridia, specifically C. difficile, is a well-established causal factor in colitis.

Depression: Glyphosate disrupts chemical processes that impact the production of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite and sleep. Serotonin impairment has been linked to depression.

Diabetes: Low levels of testosterone are a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Rats fed environmentally relevant doses of Roundup over a period of 30 days spanning the onset of puberty had reduced testosterone production sufficient to alter testicular cell morphology and to delay the onset of puberty.

Heart disease: Glyphosate can disrupt the body’s enzymes, causing lysosomal dysfunction, a major factor in cardiovascular disease and heart failure.
Hypothyroidism: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found higher rates of hypothyroidism.

Inflammatory Bowl Disease (“Leaky Gut Syndrome”): Glyphosate can induce severe tryptophan deficiency, which can lead to an extreme inflammatory bowel disease that severely impairs the ability to absorb nutrients through the gut, due to inflammation, bleeding and diarrhea.

Liver disease: Very low doses of Roundup can disrupt human liver cell function, according to a 2009 study published in Toxicology.

Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS): Sulfate deficiency in the brain has been associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Glyphosate disrupts sulfate transport from the gut to the liver, and may lead over time to severe sulfate deficiency throughout all the tissues, including the brain.Multiple Sclerosis (MS): An increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) has been found in association with MS. Glyphosate may be a causal factor. The hypothesis is that glyphosate-induced IBS causes gut bacteria to leak into the vasculature, triggering an immune reaction and consequently an autoimmune disorder resulting in destruction of the myelin sheath.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A systematic review and a series of meta-analyses of nearly three decades worth of epidemiologic research on the relationship between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides found that B cell lymphoma was positively associated with glyphosate.

Parkinson’s disease: The brain-damaging effects of herbicides have been recognized as the main environmental factor associated with neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. The onset of Parkinson’s following exposure to glyphosate has been well documented and lab studies show that glyphosate induces the cell death characteristic of the disease.

Obesity: An experiment involving the transfer of a strain of endotoxin-producing bacteria from the gut of an obese human to the guts of mice caused the mice to become obese. Since glyphosate induces a shift in gut bacteria towards endotoxin-producers, glyphosate exposure may contribute to obesity in this way.

Reproductive problems: Studies of laboratory animals have found that male rats exposed to high levels of glyphosate, either during prenatal or pubertal development, suffer from reproductive problems, including delayed puberty, decreased sperm production, and decreased testosterone production.

Respiratory illnesses: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found higher rates of chronic respiratory illnesses.

Would you knowingly take a tablespoon of Monsanto’s Roundup poison with every meal? I would hope not. However, you are probably eating those foods that have been genetically-engineered to include Roundup poison andhave also been topically treated with Roundup poison as well. If you are eating the following GMO food products, and/or food products with these as an ingredient (GMO), then you are getting your daily dose of Roundup poison…

In case you aren’t sure which products are GMO, below is a list of the top Genetically Modified and Genetically Engineered Foods by Monsanto.

A good chart from “Follow Your Heart” for those health-conscious people that are looking to find out more about GMO’s. Grow your own vegetables and rediscover what real food tastes like. If you can’t grow your own, then buy from your local/regional organic farmers or health food store.

For more information on GMO’s I have included links to a couple of my previous blogs below:

The big food industry (corporations) is trying to convince the public that the only way we can continue to feed the world is to increase the use of genetic engineering (GMO) and chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.). This means turning our current sustainable farms that nurture the soil into industrial farms that rely on more and more chemicals.

The big food industry is slowly, but surely, forcing our family farmers to become part of their big corporate farming system.

Through marketing, the big food industry is trying to convince us that they are working hand-in-hand with farmers and only have our best interests in mind.

This BULL****!

The following video from Food MythBusters does a great job of explaining what the big food industry is trying to do and thoroughly debunks it all. Please watch.

Americans are being force-fed GMO’s without their knowledge or consent. On average, Americans consume more than their weight in GMOs each year – 193 pounds of GMOs per person.

According to the Grocery Manufacturing Association, an estimated 75-80% of processed food in the U.S. contains genetically engineered foods.

Do you want to know if the food you are buying, eating and feeding to your children has been genetically engineered? If so, you are not alone. According to a poll by Thompson Reuters, 93% of Americans believe genetically engineered foods should be labeled.

The right to know and the freedom to choose are at the core of our consumer rights as Americans. These GMO’s may contain toxic chemicals, allergens and other potential health risks that are not present in foods that are not genetically engineered.

The biotech food industry is making tremendous profits, but their business models are based on keeping Americans in the dark about what they’re really eating. By requiring food to be labeled if it contains genetically engineered foods we also give the consumer the ability to make their own decision.

Requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods and food ingredients will also prohibit genetically modified foods from being advertised as “natural.”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require safety assessments of GMO foods and does not review all GMO products hitting the market. FDA guidelines are entirely voluntary and the patent holders themselves determine whether their products “warrant analytical or toxicological tests.”

Almost all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit. Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.

Over 60 countries require labels on GMOs, and many of these also have severe restrictions or bans against GMO food production or sale. We deserve the same level of protection and information as citizens in other nations around the world.

Countries with mandatory labeling include:

Australia

China

Japan

New Zealand

Russia

and all of the countries in the European Union.

Some of the countries with severe restrictions or bans against GMO food production or sale include:

Germany

Switzerland

Hungary

Ireland

Philippines

Australia

Peru

Japan.

The U.S. and Canada are two of the only developed nations in the world without GMO labeling. If GMO food is labeled or banned in all these countries around the world, WHY NOT AMERICA?

Geneticist David Suzuki, CC, OBC, PhD, LLD: “We are performing a massive experiment. The results will only be known after millions of people have been exposed to (GMO foods) for decades…Any politician or scientist who tells you these products are safe is either very stupid or lying. The hazards of these foods are uncertain. In view of our enormous ignorance, the premature application of biotechnology is downright dangerous.”

Haven’t we been down this road before? Remember Saccharin, statin drugs, trans-fats, and high-fructose corn syrup.

If you want to learn more about GMO’s, I have numerous postings on my blog in the “GMO & Monsanto” category. I have also developed a simple video explaining GMO’s. Just click on the video link below.

GMO 101: Genetically modified corn, soy, sugar from sugar beet, canola, cotton & alfalfa have genes from unrelated species forced into their DNA to make them able to tolerate being drowned in Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, and not die. The weeds are supposed to die but we now have Roundup resistant super weeds, which causes farmers to spray ever increasing amounts of Roundup on your GMO food. Roundup was patented as an antibiotic in 2010 by Monsanto and was recently found to be the most toxic of 9 pesticides tested. A recent study found that chronically ill humans had higher levels of Glyphosate in their urine.

Telling it as it is since 2013 - Living in Edinburgh, Scotland with my wonderful family and friends trying to live with Agoraphobia, Psychosis, M.E (Chronic Fatigue), PTSD and Fibromyalgia - "Life is Hard, don't make it worse" - Enjoy the Journey with me, follow me, and I will follow back. Thanks :-) Shauny

This site is about everything from my philosophy on life to the little things that make me laugh. IIt is about living, and breathing, and pausing long enough to take it all in. I hope it makes you laugh, sometimes makes you cry, but always makes you want to come back for another visit. It is your words, and your likes that inspire me to keep writing. And it is through my writing that you have a very large window to my soul. Relax awhile, read, and enjoy!